Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 03, 2025

Who leaked ‘incomplete’ AG report to influence election in 2019?

Who leaked ‘incomplete’ AG report to influence election in 2019?

Premier and Minister of Finance Honourable Andrew A. Fahie (R1) has speculated that the incomplete and unpublished Auditor General’s Report on the Virgin Islands Neighbourhood Partnership Project (VINPP) that was leaked to a local online news entity days before the general election in 2019 was meant to do harm to the Virgin Islands Party’s (VIP) image.

The controversial report, which was never published and is lacking balance as required by the Audit Act and the Virgin Islands Constitutional Order 2007, is now being used by the United Kingdom (UK)-sponsored Commission of Inquiry (CoI) as the main evidence to their inquiry into the project.

The AG report has alleged that the project, which ran from 2009-2010, did not produce results despite over half a million dollars being paid out by Government.

Premier Fahie has raised concerns, for the record, that he was being made to answer to an unpublished and incomplete report that has once again "popped up".

Leak was meant to influence election- Premier


The Premier told the Commission on October 11, 2021, that the first time he saw information about the report was in the BVI Beacon Newspaper in 2012. "And I remember from the Beacon Newspaper they said it was something in the Auditor [General’s] Report that they got a wind of that was done in 2011, in late 2011."

The second ‘leak’ was done days before the 2019 general election when BVI News Online published information from the incomplete report on February 12, 2019. The general election was due on February 25, 2019; however, the VIP would go on to win the election by a landslide.

“Then there was a leak in 2019, couple days before election, stating about things about the same programme that were not placed in a good light and if you asked me it was done in such a way that it could have influenced the election and nobody came out and said let me bring out this report public and allow due process.”

The BVI News article carried the headline: ‘Leaked AG report: Major questions about fruitless $500K spend in Fahie-led programme’.

According to the article, there were expenses which the Auditor General described as “questionable” and were listed in the report.

BVI News also said when contacted about the 17-page document the Auditor General Sonia M. Webster said ‘the report BVI News described to her was drafted several years ago and was not done for public consumption. She declined to comment further.’

Leak could have only come from 3 sources- Hon Fahie


According to Honourable Fahie, he finds it strange that a report never went through the proper channels as set up by law, was never published, but somehow tends to pop up at certain times.

“This is what alarms me about it. My research has not shown where this report has been made public so it is either the leak had to come from somewhere that the newspapers got their leak over the years. I was in the Opposition for a very long time, a very long time and I have never seen this report come forward to the Public Accounts Committee to be deliberated.”

Honourable Fahie told the Commissioner that some of the reasons he had to flag the report were because of its lack of due process for the persons being accused and how it has been handled based on the Audit Act and the VI Constitution.

The Premier said the leak could only have been happening from three sources.

“If these leaks were happening, then it would have either been the Auditor General, the Governor or the Minister were leaking it and it was never made public.”

The Governor of the Virgin Islands at the time was the controversial Augustus J. U. Jaspert who called the CoI on the Virgin Islands. The Minister who would have received the draft report, if any was issued to him, would have been the former Minister for Education, Myron V. Walwyn.

Report ‘mysteriously pops’ up for coI


According to Honourable Fahie, the Virgin Islands Neighbourhood Partnership Project would have been introduced in 2008 and 13 years later the report has mysteriously popped up “and we must now come and answer [to the CoI] when I don’t have any records from the Ministry to verify” what is in the report.

Hickinbottom responded that the Consultant for the project was given an opportunity to make his input in the report but he “did not cooperate with the Auditor General at all”.

The Premier had said he could not speak for the consultant and maintained that as is customary with an AG report, the subject document was lacking draft notes, names of persons interviewed, and a response from the Ministry.

The BVI News article on February 12, 2019 carried the headline: ‘Leaked AG report: Major questions about fruitless $500K spend in Fahie-led programme’.

Premier and Minister of Finance, Honourable Andrew A. Fahie (R1), right, on October 11, 2021, raised concerns, for the record, to CoI Commissioner Gary R. Hickinbottom that he was being made to answer to an unpublished and incomplete Auditor General Report that has once again 'popped up'.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
China Accuses US of Violating Trade Truce
Panama Port Owner Balances US-China Pressures
France Implements Nationwide Outdoor Smoking Ban to Protect Children
German Chancellor Merz Keeps Putin Guessing on Missile Strategy
Mandelson Criticizes UK's 'Fetish' for Abandoning EU Regulations
British Fishing Boat Owner Fined €30,000 by French Authorities
Dutch government falls as far-right leader Wilders quits coalition
Harvard Urges US to Unfreeze Funds for Public Health Research
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Researchers Consider New Destinations Beyond the U.S.
53-Year-Old Doctor Claims Biological Age of 23
Trump Struggles to Secure Trade Deals With China and Europe
Russia to Return 6,000 Corpses Under Ukraine Prisoner Swap Deal
Microsoft Lays Off Hundreds More Amid Restructuring
Harvey Weinstein’s Publicist Embraces Notoriety
Macron and Meloni Seek Unity Despite Tensions
Trump Administration Accused of Obstructing Deportation Cases
Newark Mayor Sues Over Arrest at Immigration Facility
Center-Left Candidate Projected to Win South Korean Presidency
Trump’s Tariffs Predicted to Stall Global Economic Growth
South Korea’s President-Elect Expected to Take Softer Line on Trump and North Korea
Trump’s China Strategy Remains a Geopolitical Puzzle
Ukraine Executes Long-Range Drone Strikes on Russian Airbases
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election
Study Identifies Potential Radicalization Risk Among Over One Million Muslims in Germany
Good news: Annalena Baerbock Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Apple Appeals EU Law Over User Data Sharing Requirements
South Africa: "First Black Bank" Collapses after Being Looted by Owners
Poland will now withdraw from the EU migration pact after pro-Trump nationalist wins Election
"That's Disgusting, Don’t Say It Again": The Trump Joke That Made the President Boil
Trump Cancels NASA Nominee Over Democratic Donations
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OnlyFans for Sale: From Lockdown Lifeline to Eight-Billion-Dollar Empire
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
×